Preakness 2017 Contenders: Race-Day Picks for Top Horses and Jockeys

All eyes will be on Always Dreaming as he settles into the gate at approximately 6:45 p.m. ET Saturday for the Preakness Stakes.

The second jewel of the Triple Crown will give trainer Todd Pletcher's horse the opportunity to complete the task in early June if he can successfully complete the 1 ³/₁₆-mile race and hit the wire first in Baltimore.

Always Dreaming handled the Kentucky Derby with relative ease on the first Saturday in May, and that was no small achievement considering that he had to overcome 19 competitors while running on a sloppy track.

John Velazquez piloted Always Dreaming to a quick start, and he was able to avoid early traffic and position himself near the front of the pack without tiring himself out. Once he reached the six-furlong mark, he went to the lead and fired at another gear at the top of the stretch and won by 2 ¾ lengths.

Always Dreaming is the 4-5 favorite in the race, according to OddsShark.

On the other hand, morning-line favorite Classic Empire had nothing but trouble on his trip. After veering out at the start, Classic Empire got slammed by his competitors, and it took everything in jockey Julien Leparoux's power to steady his charge. Classic Empire had additional issues as he ran up the backstretch, but he continued to fight.

He would eventually find his stride later in the race, and he ran well down the homestretch. He rallied for fourth place, and that was no small feat considering the way the race started. 

There's no reason to think that these two horses won't battle down the stretch for first place. We expect Always Dreaming to outlast Classic Empire, the 3-1 second choice, and take the Preakness title.

Post Position, Horse, Odds, Predicted Finish

1, Multiplier, 20-1, ninth place 
2, Cloud Computing, 20-1, fourth place
3, Hence, 20-1, eighth place
4, Always Dreaming, 10-11, winner
5, Classic Empire, 3-1, second place
6, Gunnevera, 12-1, sixth place
7, Term of Art, 33-1, 10th place
8, Senior Investment, 33-1, seventh place
9, Lookin At Lee, 11-1, fifth place
10, Conquest Mo Money, 16-1, third place

While we don't expect Conquest Mo Money to beat either of those two two runners, he should be able to take third in this race.

Starting from the outside post, Conquest Mo Money should not have a problem getting out of the gate cleanly and establishing his own pace. Jockey Jorge Carreno should be able to get his mount off to a quick start and run close to the lead. If the pace is not daunting, look for Conquest Mo Money to get near the lead at the top of the stretch and hold on for third place.

Gunnevera was in the picture going into the Kentucky Derby, but jockey Mike Smith encountered some trouble and could only finish seventh at Churchill Downs. Prior to that race, Gunnevera was a consistent sort and had hit the board in his four previous races. Two of those races were victories, so he should not be discounted in Baltimore.

Lookin At Lee shocked the experts with his second-pace finish in the Derby even though he was an extreme outsider. Lookin At Lee avoided traffic, had a decent pace down the back stretch and had enough strength in the final two furlongs to outlast all the runners except Always Dreaming.

Jockey Corey Lanerie has won more than 4,000 career races, and he piloted Cherry Wine to a second-place finish in last year's Preakness. His ability should give Lookin At Lee a decent chance.